New Lancaster fire chief ready for anything

Michael Hanson talks about becoming the new fire chief in Lancaster on Thursday at the fire station on Main Street.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE/JOHN LOVE

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LANCASTER -- Mike Hanson doesn't wear the white uniform dress shirt popular with most fire chiefs in the state. Instead, he opts for a dark pullover with the Lancaster Fire Department icon on his chest.

It's a matter of necessity, said Hanson, 42, who officially became the fire chief Jan. 1 after 24 years with the department.

"One minute I could be sitting here talking to you, an hour later I could be underneath the truck, changing the oil or grease or something," said Hanson.

In a town with a population about 8,000, he said department members have to find ways to get by with a limited budget.

Major vehicle breakdowns such as a broken pump have to go to a certified mechanic, but firefighters roll up their sleeves for vehicle maintenance like replacing a broken light.

The fire station in Lancaster has had some upgrades to many rooms by the firefighters, like this one on the second floor, which is now a conference room for training. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE/JOHN LOVE

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They have the Public Works Department use their equipment to remove the tires when they need to be replaced.

"It saves a little bit of money to bring the tire up to the tire shop off the truck," he said.

The fire station was reworked by firefighter labor. Half the building was used by police when it was built around 1967, but since that department moved out the firefighters have converted the cells into equipment storage and the ugly green walls were painted red and white. Most of the improvements have come in the last year and a half.

"The guys are getting more involved here," said Hanson.

He said if he hired someone to paint the inside it would have probably cost $10,000, but they did it themselves with $600 to $700 of paint and some drywall.

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The large meeting room upstairs used to have couches and big tables the firefighters would crowd around, but Hanson brought in two-person desks, a large TV screen and used chairs from the Veterans Memorial School. They built a kitchen using money they raised with a dunk tank at the Bolton Fair and bought cabinets, counters and appliances from Lowe's at half off. Department funding got them a carpet.

There's also a set of bunk beds in a room in the loft and a TV room with couches on the ground floor. Hanson said a few guys come in on Sunday to watch football in their free time, but the department benefits from having firefighters in the station in case anything happens.

The departments support vehicle Rescue 1 -- which houses the Jaws of Life rescue tool, speedy dry absorbent, lights and fans -- was built by the firefighters as well. He estimated a new one would have cost $125,000, but they ended up making one.

"I think we spent $1,000, and everyone had a hand in it," he said. "That's a big thing, having the guys input in what we're doing."

Hanson said they took their forestry vehicle and installed a donated body onto the wheelbase. It was already painted red, so all they had to add was the lettering and lights.

They then had the body from the forestry truck kicking around, so they cobbled that together with an old military pickup and made a new forestry truck.

"We basically made ourselves two new trucks for almost no money," said Hanson. "Sometimes you have too many, like 15 guys trying to line this up. You end up with more guys than you need, but they all want to help, and that's good."

He said the projects the firefighters have done together lets them feel ownership over the fire station and the equipment, which encourages them to take better care of it and pick up after themselves.

Fire Lt. Bob Gordon has been with the department since 1995. He said Hanson is the first one to chip in when they need to work together on a project and throws himself into the job seven days a week.

"He brought the morale up in the department," said Gordon. He said Hanson is extremely hands-on and put in some well-needed rules since he became deputy chief a few years ago.

The rank-and-file firefighters are all on-call, which means they report for duty only during emergencies, and Gordon said some firefighters have been less likely to respond to non-fire calls like traffic accidents. But under Hanson those numbers have dramatically improved, he said.

Hanson joined the department in 1990 right out of high school as an on-call firefighter.

He tried Mount Wachusett Community College for business administration, but didn't like it and ended up working for a plastics company in Westminster for a few years, then worked as a security guard and tried a few odd jobs. He wanted to be a full-time firefighter, but he said not being a certified EMT put him at a disadvantage in the job market.

He got his EMT certification for that in the late 1990s. From 1999 to 2006 he worked as a civilian logistics analyst in Devens for the Army's 323rd Maintenance Co.

In 2006 he was hired as the department's only full-time firefighter.

In January 2010 Fire Chief John Fleck left to work for the Lexington Fire Department. Police Chief Kevin Lamb, a longtime member of the Fire Department, became the acting fire chief and Hanson became the deputy chief.

Hanson took further Fire Academy classes while Lamb helped him learn the job in preparation to take over. Hanson took on an increasing load of work while Lamb slowly phased himself out.

"We agreed to hold the position for three years for him," said Lamb. "He's a very good guy. He came a long ways ... and he's very well-liked by the guys on the department. He handles himself pretty well."

Lamb helped Hanson write last year's budget, and this year Hanson did it himself and Lamb looked it over when he finished.

"The Lancaster Fire Department will be in great hands under the direction of Chief Hanson," said Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco. "He is one of the most dedicated and tireless workers I have known."

Firefighter Ryan Aldrich has been with the department for a year and a half. He said he's been amazed at how methodical Hanson behaves in command during a fire, always knowing three steps ahead of what task he's going to give the firefighters next.

Aldrich said when Hanson needs to speak to someone who did something wrong, he says what he needs to say and moves on.

The 28 firefighters in the department are all on-call, and Hanson tells them to always put their families first.

"It's not their primary job or source of income. No one here is getting rich," he said. "They're not here to make money. It helps a little bit, but most of them are here because they have a sense of wanting to serve the community."

He said firefighters need to have their home life sorted out so they won't develop problems at home when they have to respond to a call unexpectedly.

Hanson married his wife, Brenda, seven years ago and said the department wouldn't be a success without the support of firefighters' wives, girlfriends and parents.

The department loses firefighters periodically when they are hired for full-time positions in other departments.

"I wish them all the best of luck. I feel bad that we're losing them because they're great guys. They were dedicated, but at the same time I was in their shoes once, too. I wanted to be a full-time firefighter and you go where the job will take you," said Hanson.

He said it reflects well on the department that they've trained so many successful firefighters.

Hanson said one of the places the department is lacking is community involvement, and he's working to fix that. He's getting firefighters to do more public events, like safety workshops and booths at fairs, so people will get to meet them.

"I enjoy seeing people walk up to talk to the guys, get to know them, realize their kids go to the same school, the same classes, are on the same soccer team, and they never realized they were firefighters, so it's really great to see the public interacting with the department," Hanson said. "It's a small town. We should be there. Most times when you see us, it's because you're having a bad day. Something's going wrong in your life."

He said when members of the public connect to the department, they are more likely to call when they need help.

"You can't be normal to do this job. Most people run away from danger. These guys run into it," said Hanson. "Most of the guys are pretty laid back, easy-going, and willing to help. The bottom line is they always want to help. They always want to be part of something helping as a group."

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